- therobit
- Aug 19, 2008
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I've been tryin' to speak with you for a long time
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I'm 32, currently self employed, but I would really love a job at an organization that comes with benefits. I interviewed with a large international airline this week for a job that would have been pretty much perfect. The catch is I'm visually impaired. I did my best to point out that I have the experience to help a variety of other differently abled people feel comfortable, I know when yo ask for help, I'm experienced with a range of visual accessibility tools. I did everything I could to minimize the worry. On a personal level I thought the interview went great, and I received an email this morning saying my resume is not even being help in their pre-approved pool of people who just weren't good enough for this round.
Unfortunately this has been an ongoing theme of pretty much every interview I've ever had. Over the years I've spoken to numerous folks about it and always received different advice. I had a career counselor at the CNIB say why even tell people? I've had friends in management say of course you bring it up, nobody likes surprises.
I've always felt it's fairest to bring it up in the interview, that if I got the job and hadn't said anything people would feel like I had lied.
My whole life I've had two successful interviews outside of working for family or myself, and one was because a friend was working at a high management level and essentially got me the job, and the other was because although I tried to let my interviewer know just for fair warning he was powering through and not really paying attention because it was a hiring flurry before Christmas for a casual position and in the end I also didn't get told I was being kept on until two days before my contract ended which meant having to scramble in January.
My visual disability is that I have low vision, am profoundly colourblind, and I have no depth perception. I'm currently working at a transcriptionist and closed captioner, but I would like something a bit more stable, and with benefits. I am capable of living independently, I manage my own finances, buy my own clothes, I'm an avid knitter. I own a dog who doesn't pay attention to her own surroundings so I'm more guiding her. I just have to get close to things to read them, am squinty and, you know, colourblind.
So my question is, how do I approach this in interview situations that will stop companies from just shying away? Or is there a way to do so?
tl;dr: My eyes are broken, how do get hired?
If you can perform the job functions then there us no reason to disclose it. It sucks and is illegal, but 99% of the time they will discrimate against you because they fear having to make reasonable accommodations as well as an ada lawsuit if they fire you for any reason (not saying that fear is founded, just that it exists).
They have no right to your medical information prior to employing you and only have a right to as much as necessary to make reasonable accomodations once you are employed.
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Jan 27, 2017 20:39
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Apr 29, 2024 02:09
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- therobit
- Aug 19, 2008
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I've been tryin' to speak with you for a long time
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You are in no position to be fussy. As pointed out by the above posters, few reasonable companies would be interested in hiring you due to legal liability.
Either you lie by omission to get a job to put food on the table, or you continue to be prideful and starve. Simple straightforward advice. Lie your rear end off.
It isn't lying to not disclose your private medical information. That is protected and it would be illegal to ask about it in an interview.
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Jan 28, 2017 18:29
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Jan 27, 2017 20:39
